Prolactin: structure, receptors, and functions.

Prolactin (PRL) is a 23-kDa protein synthesized and secreted by lactotroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland but also by other peripheral tissues. PRL binds directly to a unique transmembrane receptor (PRLR), and the JAK2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (Stat5) pathway is considered the major downstream pathway for PRLR signaling. To a lesser extent, PRL may be cleaved into the shorter 16-kDa PRL, also called vasoinhibin, whose signaling is not fully known.

Anti-Mullerian Hormone Assessment in Assisted Reproductive Technique Outcome and Natural Conception.

In recent years, the prevalence of infertility has increased, and appears to affect approximately one in six couples. Some of them must perform assisted reproductive techniques (ART) in order to achieve pregnancy. As a result, growing interest has arisen about predictive factors of pregnancy and live birth with and without ART.

Revisiting GDF9 variants in primary ovarian insufficiency: A shift from dominant to recessive pathogenicity?

Background: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) affects around 2-4% of women before the age of 40. Genetic factors play an important role in POI. The GDF9 gene has been identified as a significant genetic contributor of POI.

Shifting the landscape: Dominant C-terminal rare missense FOXL2 variants in non-syndromic primary ovarian failure etiology.

Pathogenic germline variants in the FOXL2 gene are associated with Blepharophimosis, Ptosis, and Epicanthus Inversus syndrome (BPES) in humans, an autosomal dominant condition. Two forms of BPES have emerged: (i) type I (BPES-I), characterized by ocular signs and primary ovarian failure (POI), and (ii) type II (BPES-II) with no systemic associations. This study aimed to compare the distribution of FOXL2 variants in idiopathic POI/DOR (diminished ovarian reserve) and both types of BPES, and to determine the involvement of FOXL2 in non-syndromic forms of POI/DOR.

Gynaecological follow-up for women of reproductive age with multiple sclerosis: The GYNESEP study.

Background: The gynaecological care of women with Multiple Sclerosis has received little attention; most reports focussed on pregnancy or sexuality. The objective of the present study was to evaluate if gynaecological follow-up for women of reproductive age with Multiple Sclerosis was adequate.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on a large cohort of women with Multiple Sclerosis aged 18-40 years.

[Prolactin and its receptor: From animal models to pituitary pathophysiology].

Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone that is mainly synthesized and secreted by lactotroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland. The actions of prolactin are mediated by its transmembrane receptor, PRLR. The principal role attributed to PRL is to stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of the mammary cells required for lactation, but studies of animal models have assigned more than 300 separate actions to this hormone in various species.

Fertility Outcomes after Surgical Management of Colorectal Endometriosis: A Single-center Retrospective Study.

Study Objective: To assess the pregnancy rate after surgery for colorectal endometriosis.

Design: A retrospective, single-center study performed from January 2014 to December 2019.

Setting: A university tertiary referral center.

[Impact of combined oral contraceptives and spironolactone on hirsutism and quality of life].

Objectives: Combined oral contraceptives (COC) and spironolactone are the first and second-line treatments of mild hirsutism, since the use of cyproterone acetate was restricted to the treatment of severe hirsutism by the French guidelines for hyperandrogenism published in May 2020. Because spironolactone was until now barely used in France, the aim of this study was to evaluate the indication, efficacy and impact on quality of life of COC and spironolactone treatments on mild hirsutism in non-menopausal women.

Methods: This retrospective monocentric study was conducted between June 2020 and October 2021.

Gonad differentiation toward ovary.

Gonad differentiation depends on a set of cellular and hormonal signals interacting in a specific order, with very precise windows of action, to contribute to the establishment of the genital tract and a male or female phenotype. Research initially focused on the stages of gonad differentiation toward testis, in particular following the identification in 1990 of the SRY factor on chromosome Y. The mechanisms involved in gonad differentiation toward ovary took longer to identify.

Prolactin - a pleiotropic factor in health and disease.

The principal role of prolactin in mammals is the regulation of lactation. Prolactin is a hormone that is mainly synthesized and secreted by lactotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland. Prolactin signalling occurs via a unique transmembrane prolactin receptor (PRL-R).

MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Transition of care for young adult patients with Turner syndrome.

Turner syndrome (TS), affecting 1/2000 to 1/2500 live born girls, is a chromosomal aberration with a total or partial loss of one of the X chromosomes. The diagnosis can be established from the intra-uterine life to adulthood. TS is a chronic disease with particular morbidity and mortality.

How can we make pregnancy safe for women with Turner syndrome?

Pregnancy is a crucial issue in patients with Turner syndrome (TS). Although natural pregnancies have been reported in 4-7% of TS patients, most women will need assisted reproductive technologies (ART) with oocyte donation. The main issue is the maternal mortality rate that is higher than in the general population.

Autocrine actions of prolactin contribute to the regulation of lactotroph function in vivo.

Prolactin (PRL), whose principal role is regulation of lactation, is mainly synthesized and secreted by lactotroph anterior pituitary cells. Its signaling is exerted via a transmembrane PRL receptor (PRLR) expressed in a wide variety of tissues, including the anterior pituitary. Dopamine, which is secreted by tuberoinfundibular hypothalamic neurons, is the major inhibitory regulator of prolactin secretion.

Natural and molecular history of prolactinoma: insights from a mouse model.

Lactotroph adenoma, also called prolactinoma, is the most common pituitary tumor but little is known about its pathogenesis. Mouse models of prolactinoma can be useful to better understand molecular mechanisms involved in abnormal lactotroph cell proliferation and secretion. We have previously developed a prolactin receptor deficient ( ) mouse, which develops prolactinoma.

R-spondin2, a novel target of NOBOX: identification of variants in a cohort of women with primary ovarian insufficiency.

Background: R-spondin2 (Rspo2) is a secreted agonist of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Rspo2 plays a key role in development of limbs, lungs and hair follicles, and more recently during ovarian follicle development. Rspo2 heterozygous deficient female mice become infertile around 4 months of age mimicking primary ovarian insufficiency (POI).

A novel non genomic glucocorticoid signaling mediated by a membrane palmitoylated glucocorticoid receptor cross talks with GnRH in gonadotrope cells.

Glucocorticoid hormones (GC) are the main stress mediators associated with reproductive disorders. GC exert their effects through activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) principally acting as a transcription factor. Beside well-established GR-mediated genomic actions, several lines of evidence suggest a role for rapid membrane-initiated GC signaling in gonadotrope cells triggered by a membrane-associated GR.

Familial Multiplicity of Estrogen Insensitivity Associated With a Loss-of-Function ESR1 Mutation.

Context: Estrogens influence many physiological processes in mammals, including reproduction. Estrogen peripheral actions are mainly mediated through estrogen receptors (ERs) α and β, encoded by ESR1 and ESR2 genes, respectively.

Objective: The study's aim was to describe a family in which 3 members presented with estrogen insensitivity.

Identification of Multiple Gene Mutations Accounts for a new Genetic Architecture of Primary Ovarian Insufficiency.

Context: Idiopathic primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a major cause of amenorrhea and infertility. POI affects 1% of women before age 40 years, and several genetic causes have been reported. To date, POI has been considered a monogenic disorder.

The Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Sunitinib Affects Ovulation but Not Ovarian Reserve in Mouse: A Preclinical Study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate ovarian toxicity of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sunitinib, since only scarce data are available on gonadal function after this treatment. Six-week-old female mice received orally, once daily, vehicle or sunitinib (50 mg/kg/d) during 5 weeks. Fertility parameters were analyzed from ovulation to litter assessment.